As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos.4,088,339; 3,874,702; 3,887,220; and, 3,893,713 the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse trailer hitch constructions developed to facilitate the hitching of a trailer to either a car or a truck.
While the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for their intended purpose and function; they also are impractical from the standpoint that virtually all of these constructions require some form of permanent structural modification of the vehicle body or bed in order to accommodate the hitch device.
In the most drastic examples, the structural modifications are so extensive as to virtually require factory installation of the required hardware in order to make the modifications economically feasible for the average consumer.
In other instances wherein the structural modifications are not unduly extensive these devices still require semi-permanent installation of structural components that at a minimum involve the penetration of the vehicle body to effect the operative connection between the hitch assembly and the vehicle.
Obviously there has existed a long felt need for a fifth wheel trailer hitch assembly that can quickly and easily be both installed and removed from the bed of a pick-up truck; wherein, the hitch assembly would utilize the existing pick-up body construction to effect the releasable securement of the trailer hitch components; and, wherein, portions of the trailer hitch assembly could remain within the pick-up truck bed when not in use without materially altering the load carrying capacity of the truck bed.